Pledge To Him
by xxCindaxx
Summary: Allen X Reader - Just as their relationship was developing, they had to separate apart. Just how will he react when she's moved on, acting on their promise? Will he win her love back?
1. Part 1

Pledge to Him

Part 1

To **[Name]**, his touch was absolute. His hands gently caressed her face, cupping them in his hands and not letting go. Her delicate and pale skin felt like soft wool when touched by him, making him yearn for more of that softness. But he had to go, to go somewhere, somewhere far away from her, somewhere far away from the life he had with her. He would have to abandon it, abandon the love of his life, and the future that they'd probably have together. It sent his heart to crash into millions of pieces for that to happen.

To him, **[Name]** was more than just a person who was there, or a crush. She was his will to live, and without her, he'd doubt that he'd survived all those times when about to be killed. He guessed that she'd have moved on when he left, and gotten married, started a family, and was happy. That would make him happy also, but it would also leave him in the darkness, which would've eventually enveloped him in its evil, causing him to go astray.

"This is goodbye, **[Name]**-chan..." He spoke his words soft, almost too soft, so soft that it were as if it were only the 2 of them in on a private secret that no one else should find out about. [Name]'s hands gripped onto the taller boy, no, man's shirt, begging him to not leave her. His gentle grey irises showed weakness and compassion, trying to not break down in this very moment, not before he had to go.

"No, no...no! Please, please, please don't go!" **[Name]** cried, tears spilling from her sadness tinted **[Eye Colour]** eyes. Fingers lifted her chin up smoothly, raising them enough so that he could lean down and lock lips with the smaller and shorter girl.

His soft and gentle lips moved in unison with hers, catching them in passion. But it wasn't long, as he was away from her in seconds, a sad smile on his lips. **[Name]** couldn't tell if he was sad or not.

Although he smiled, he was breaking deep inside. He had to leave her, not protect her, leave her for someone else to protect her. But what if she got captured, held hostage? He couldn't bear that - that is why he'll leave him with the others, and that'll he'll leave; just for **[Name]**'s sake.

"**[Name]-**chan...promise me, promise me that you'll be happy, that you'll be careful and be safe." His eyes stayed on **[Name]**, hoping that she would promise him, promise him that, even if she were to break it.

**[Name]**'s** [Eye Colour]** eyes widened, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. She hesitated, then spoke, gulping before she did so. Holding her 2 hands together tightly, she tried to stop them from trembling uncontrollably. She didn't want to do this, but whether she liked it or not, she understood him, and what he wanted her to do.

"I...I...I...promise..." **[Name]** said, her bottom lip trembling. Her love inhaled deeply, before he turned around, starting to walk forward. **[Name]** reached out, saying his name over and over, before she caught up to him, about to grab on to his clothing before he left. She couldn't say goodbye yet.

But before she got to grab onto him, he had turned around slightly, giving her a last smile before he had disappeared with the wind, his voice travelling along with it, whispering it into her ears, his last words to her. Her running pace slowed down, her **[Eye Colour]** eyes glancing around rapidly, searching for him.

"**[Name]-**chan, you must know this by now, but, thank you for always being there for me, showering me with unconditional love. It might be a little late to say this, but...I love you. Thank you, and goodbye."

**[Name]** frantically stared to look around, her breathing getting faster and faster. "Allen? Allen? Allen!" Then, it struck her. The life promise that she promised the grey eyed man. Her knees felt weak all of a sudden, collapsing to the ground. Her hands hit the ground in front of her, directly under her shoulders. She stared at the solid, earthly ground, a few tears rolling off her cheek.

_'Be happy, be safe and be careful. Promise me that.'_

**[Name]** sniffed, rubbing her tears off with the back of her gloved hand. She stood up, an attempted fierce look on her face. Brushing herself off of dirt, she stood up and took a look around. She wanted to look around one last time, one last time before she left the last place she saw Allen.

"Allen, I'll keep walking ahead..."

With that, she turned around, her white dress flying in ripples as she did so. She headed back to the doors of the Order, going in, and never turning back.

"Thank you, Allen; I love you, too."


	2. Part 2

Pledge to Him

Part 2

His fingers played with her hair. It was soft and delicate, like a piece of silk ribbon. The female closed her eyes and relaxed her hand on the book that she was reading as she rested her **[Eye Colour]** eyes.

"**[Name]**?"The man asked, from behind her. He rested his chin on the top of her head, his arms hugging her neck and shoulders, "You alright?"

**[Name]** opened her eyes again, showing her shining **[Eye Colour]** eyes to the world yet again. "I'm fine…just tired." She looked up and saw those green eyes of his, cracking a smile.

He leaned down, his red hair ruffling lightly in the wind as he was about to peck on her on the lips.

"Ew! What are you doing?" A childish female voice cried as she pointed accusingly at the two of them.

Frozen stiff, the genders moved away from each other quickly, the man walking off with his arms behind his neck, and the female smiling at the child as she outstretched her hand to her to come closer.

"Jacinta, over here!" **[Name] **smiled, closing the book with her other hand.

The smaller girl frowned and crossed her arms, looking suspiciously at the man before back at her. "Where's he going?"

"Don't worry about him. Come here!"

"No way, big sister!" Jacinta stuck out her tongue and ran off, holding her teddy bear in her right hand.

**[Name]** sighed. She turned to look if Lavi was there, but he wasn't. He really did go off. Glancing around a few more times, she opened to the most recent page of the book and carefully read its contents, which was dated back over 2 months ago.

_Dear Diary,_

_It's been almost 5 years since he's gone. _

_I haven't seen him since._

_During those 5 years, Lavi was really kind to me. I started to like him, but he said that he'd already liked me since long ago. I don't know how long, but nonetheless, I guess we became a couple. _

_I've been thinking less about him._

_I'm trying to forget about him._

_I want to move on._

_I'm starting to, but it's been really slow._

_I'm happy now, and want to continue with my relationships._

_Jacinta is now 5 years old. She was born when he left. She doesn't seem to like Lavi much, and always disrupts us when he's there. In the end, he goes away. But at first he tried to be friends with her, but she always bit him when she was younger, so that didn't turn out well. That's why he goes off all the time. _

_Then afterwards, I always look at this diary. _

_It's got precious memories in it._

_Even if they are painful. _

**[Name]** sighed. She closed the book and looked up into the sky, where the clouds ran freely with no obstacle. She would like to be one, free of this world and what her future holds.

Standing up, she walked back inside to the new location for the Order and to her room, where she placed the diary back into its usual position, under her pillow.

Today, she had to go on a mission to retrieve something from her family. Where it is is confidential in itself, so she couldn't tell anyone except the Chief who would know where she'd be going in order to keep tabs on her.

"Keep safe. It's dangerous there, and you don't know what's going to happen to you if you're not alert. Remember, don't let your guard down." Komui had said to her.

Wearing warm clothes and a nice dress, she walked out and went to the Chief's office, telling him that she'd be going now.

Once out of the grand place, she took a boat to her hometown, where she was born and raised before being employed by the Order as an exorcist. She could smell the familiar scent of roses and trees, as that place was full of nature. She loved it there, as it was one of the few places that she could relax.

As she walked through the town to her home, she passed by a large audience with a performing clown right in the middle of it. People were clapping and cheering as the clown did many acrobatic moves with ease on a big ball.

Unconsciously, she smiled at the sight, as the clown jumped down and helped a child up as he tripped to the ground after trying to push through the crowd.

_What a caring clown…_**[Name] **continued walking forward, instead of watching the clown. She didn't have all day to stand around and watch. After all, she did come here for a reason. Which isn't to watch clowns.

"Mother, father? Are you home?" She called to them, knocking at the door. She heard the door click open and her mother appear before her eyes.

"**[Name]**!It's nice to have you home again! Have a seat, dear! You must be tired to come this far!" Her mother rushed into the kitchen as her daughter looked around the place, observing any changes.

There wasn't much, but a few things have changed. After a few minutes, her mother appeared before her again and handed her some hot water and scones, filled with jam and cream. **[Name]** only ate a bit, and saved the rest for when she was to leave.

Manoeuvring to her room, she found the large locked treasure chest and opened it with the key that she had hidden under her lamp. Inside, there were only two things, which was a necklace that she had, one that he had given to her, and a dress that she had worn to the ball at the Order.

Those were her precious items, items that she wouldn't ever throw away. **[Name]** sighed deeply and touched the dress, feeling the silkiness of the material. It was a beautiful dress – made by the science team back at the Order who made the uniforms. They were such great dress makers, too. And she didn't know that.

Getting a brown suitcase from the side of her room, she stuffed the dress and necklace inside, locking it up before walking back out into the main room of her house, eating the rest of the food before saying goodbye, then walking out.

As she did, she stared up into the sky, wondering what to do next. She'd have to go back to the Order. But then what was she going to do there? A mission, perhaps?

She stumbled a bit, losing her balance and nearly falling over, but regaining afterward with a strong stamp of her foot to keep herself steady. Bystanders stared at her weirdly, pondering as to why a fair maiden would do that.

She regained composure and walked on ahead as if nothing's happen. Suddenly, the deafening sounds of a large explosion very close by rung in her ears. She jerked her head to the left, where she could now see thick grey smoke rolling off toward her direction. Her **[Eye Colour]** eyes widened with disbelief as she heard the groans and moans of civilians caught up in the blast.

"Hehehe…" The exorcist heard a witchy voice above her head, and immediately glancing to the sky; saw a dark figure that floated in front of the sun, which she couldn't see properly.

It was an akuma.

Its arm moved from its side to in front, pointing directly at **[Name]** who stood staring. Why didn't she move? Was she not an exorcist?

Quickly, she fumbled for her Innocence which looked like a key-chain of a bow and arrow, eventually finding it within seconds as the akuma shot.

She was too late.

Her eyes were squeezed shut as she held tightly onto her Innocence and a warm fabric. She felt like she was in bed, unable to get up, as her parents tried to get her to get to school on time. She remembered the feeling of feeling warm in the winter, but those flashbacks ended when her throat tickled.

**[Name]** coughed a few times, feeling that the inhaled ashes and smoke weren't too good for her body.

"Are you ok?"

[Name] felt herself being set to the ground, leaning against the wall for support. She felt somebody kneel beside her, stroking the back of her head with gentleness.

"Urgh…" She managed to open her eyes and look at the damage taken, seeing there were many bricks here and there, with a light cloud of dust, ashes and possibly smoke fading off.

Looking to her side, she saw familiar white hair and those grey eyes of his, unchanging throughout the years. His lips were smothered with red chap stick, and his face was powdered white, but she could still see the distinctive features of that smile he showed, bringing tears to her eyes as she made a face of happiness mixed with disbelief.

"Why are you even here?"


	3. Part 3

Pledge to Him

Part 3

"Hahaha…" The clown scratched the side of his cheek gently in nervousness. He didn't know that she would be where he was. He thought he wasn't ever going to see her ever again.

What a jinx that was.

"…Allen…" **[Name]** whispered, her voice cracking at the end. She coughed.

The white haired man took a minute to stare at her. He noticed that she had a more beautiful, mature face, as well as a tinier frame. He felt a pang of pain in his heart because she must have been devastated that he had left so suddenly.

He reached out to her and held her hand gently, but was swatted away the moment he touched her hand.

"Don't you touch me…!" The female exorcist wore an aggravated expression, which softened to a pained look.

Allen was in shock; his gray hues were wide and his mouth agape. His hand slowly retreated and a voice echoed in his head.

'_Promise me that you'll be happy.'_

His thin lips curled into a small smile. That smile meant nothing but to hide emotions that he did not want to show.

"It's…nice to see you again **[Name]**," His voice shook at the end, "How have you been?"

**[Name]** stared at her former lover with unyielding eyes. She didn't want to talk. Not to him. She was afraid that her voice would break and she'd end up in tears. She wanted to feel his touch once again, but, she couldn't.

Allen waited patiently for her to talk, staring straight back at her. He could see that her eyes were holding a stiff emotion – something that he couldn't read.

"…the akuma has been destroyed, so I think it's safer to go now." Allen smiled at her and offered her his hand. She didn't take it, and stood up by herself, dusting off her dress.

She managed to choke something out, hoping it sounded decent, "It was nice seeing you, Allen, but I've got to go now."

With a curt nod, she turned away from him and briskly walked away, avoiding eye contact. She felt something clamp around her wrist, holding her back. She stopped and looked at Allen.

His gray eyes were wide and he just stared, mouth agape. He didn't know why he went after her. Why did he? She wasn't his.

"Allen, what is it?" **[Name]** asked. His hand was still around her thin wrist.

"I…" Allen slowly released his grip on her, trying to find words that he could say, "I, uh…how's the Black Order?"

"…the Black Order's fine. We lost a powerful exorcist that time, but we're back on our feet now. Thanks for your concern, Allen." The woman gave him a small smile and rubbed her wrist.

_We're not all that reliant on you, Allen. We've moved on. _**[Name]** couldn't say those exact words – they were too painful to even think about.

Allen knew that she was talking about him. What she said felt like rubbing salt on a wound. It was painful to bear, knowing that it was him that caused it.

"If that's all, then I'll be going along now." **[Name]** turned around on her heel.

"I'll come back soon!" Allen spoke loud enough for her to hear.

She froze in her tracks.

"I definitely will! So wait for me!" He began to speak in a louder tone, voice filled with determination.

Her hands clasped the front of her dress into a tight bundle between her fingers. She pressed her lips together and didn't dare turn around. Instead, she continued to move forward, walking faster and faster.

As she walked through the town and down to the station, she couldn't help but think about those words, bringing tears to her eyes. She tried to blink the tears away, but they just flowed. Her heart clenched tightly in her chest and she just cried, standing alone on the platform.


	4. Part 4

Pledge to Him

Part 4

"Lavi..." **[Name]** lips trembled as she wobbled into the red head's room, which was open.

Lavi lay on his bed, reading a book with a casual set of clothes and his bandanna and eye patch off.

He noticed his girlfriend approaching, encouraging him to sit at the ledge of his bed and patting his hand down to the spot next to him. He wore a soft smile that put her heart at ease.

"Come here."

"Lavi...!" She embraced him with her arms, burying her face into his chest. She was silent, her eyes squeezed shut as she remembered the day's events, which only lead to her hugging him tighter.

Lavi was taken aback; she wasn't normally like this. He enjoyed the hug though; any type of skin ship with her was precious. He gently patted her back and soothed her by caressing the back of her head. He felt her trembling in his arms.

"You ok?" Lavi's green irises flickered to the woman, who didn't respond to him. He didn't press the topic any further.

"I'll wait until you're ready." Lavi whispered, wrapping his strong arms around her. He pulled her over onto his bed, and the two were eye to eye. Their legs dangled off the bed.

**[Name] **had covered her face with her hands, trying to hide it. She didn't want him to see. His big hands gently grabbed hers with his, moving them away from her face.

Her eyes were swollen and puffy. She had been crying.

Lavi pulled her in close, resting his chin on top of her head. His arm slid over her waist, reducing the distance between them.

He didn't know how long he laid there. He waited until she calmed down, until she fell asleep.

He caressed her cheek, feeling how her cheeks were warm and soft. He could see the tear stains. He wondered what was making her cry.

"Allen..."

The green eyed man's eyes widened almost immediately after she murmured that name. He felt his heart beat faster and shock run through his veins.

_Allen? Why Allen? _

He remembered, through his inescapably good memory, that she was together with Allen for a while, before he disappeared 5 years ago, and never came back. His felt his expression scrunching up into a slight frown.

But why would she say his name now? Confusion racked his mind. He dug through whatever memories he had with Allen and **[Name].**

Then he thought of something.

**[Name] **went off to see her family today, didn't she? What if, when she went off, she saw something that reminded her of Allen? That was the most reasonable explanation. Or, she was just dreaming. Lavi hoped it was the latter.

But when she mumbled his name again, Lavi didn't know what to think. She'd slept beside him many times throughout the 5 years, and all those times, apart from the first few times, she would unconsciously call out to Allen.

The exorcist sat up, running a hand through his red locks, and resting his elbows on his thighs. His hand stopped the hair from the hairline from going onto his face. The sun had risen up now. He was awake the whole night.

The sun bathed his back with warmth, something that he ached to have from the woman lying on his bed. He turned his head to the window, seeing the bright blue sky smiling back at him.

If only he was that happy.

Did he have to, yet again, fake more emotions?


	5. Part 5

Pledge to Him

Part 5

A white haired man wearing a snowy white cloak over his head approached the Black Order. He stared up at the huge building, remembering all the memories that he shared with many of the people he loved.

A golden golem flew around his head, trying to capture his attention.

Allen stared at Timcanpy. His lips curled into a small smile. He didn't want to show any hesitation as he entered. He'd been away for 5 years. It may not sound like a long time, but it dragged on forever.

With a deep breath, he approached the gate keeper.

A loud noise resounded in the control room. Komui woke up from his slumber. He was holding onto his empty mug and had snoozed on top of a small pile of paperwork.

"Ugh…what now?" He groaned, staring at the monitor in front of him. The screen showed in front of the gate. There was a person in front of it, wearing white, with a flying golden golem. In an instant, the Chief was fully awake. He had a hunch of who it was. He was sure. He let go of his mug and rushed downstairs to the front gate, hoping he would reach it on time before he leaves.

Finally, he reached the gate. The gatekeeper, as usual was confused at the identity of the hooded person. He could barely see his face, but he recognised Timcanpy.

"ALLEN WALKER!" Komui shouted, out of breath, as he saw the person in white in view.

Timcanpy landed on the white hood, seeming to look straight at Komui.

"Komui?"

The hooded figure turned around to face the purple haired man. Komui's breath caught in his throat. He felt very happy, that tears begun to stream from his eyes. He sobbed.

"ALLEN!" Komui leaped at him, crushing him in a big hug, "WELCOME HOME!"

Allen was surprised, but also glad, that they didn't forget about him, "I'm home."

That gladness was short lived, as he found that Komui had tied a rope around him, holding onto him like he was a dog.

"Now you can't escape!" Komui laughed, tugging at him as they entered the Order.

All exorcists were called to meet in the Chief's room.

Komui was sitting on his chair, sipping his Blue Mountain coffee. He felt like he had achieved one of his life goals. And that, was to capture Allen Walker with just a rope. It worked.

The exorcist was seated to his right, with Timcanpy sitting on his head. He was pouting.

"Why did you have to do that? I would've come without you needing to do this…" Allen mumbled, a bit annoyed at the tightness of the rope.

"Well, you never know." Komui sang, smiling.

"Please don't sing." Allen gulped.

"Komui, what did you call us here for?" A deep voice asked. The owner of the voice walked into the room. It was Kanda. He was the first to come into the office.

The moment he did, his eyes landed on Walker and widened. He began to draw his sword, annoyance pulsing through his veins.

"K-K-Kanda!" Komui waved his arms around, "Pull back your sword this instant!"

Kanda begrudgingly sheathed his sword, crossing his arms. "What do you think you're doing here, bean sprout?"

"Uh…Hi Kanda." Allen smiled nervously.

"Tch."

"I'll explain when the others come. Some are on a mission, so Lenalee, Lavi and **[Name]** should be coming." said Komui.

Allen froze at her name. So she was still here…

He gulped. He could feel the blood drain from his face. He was nervous, so nervous. Ever since he saw her back not too long ago, he wanted to see her again – but at the same time, he dreaded when he would meet her.

He didn't know what her reaction would be. He was scared that she would reject him. That she would push him away.

But he wouldn't know.

Once the others had arrived, he was forced to plaster a smile on his face and greet them with happiness. Although he was faking it, he was sure that Lenalee could see through it.

Lenalee was crying and Lavi had tried not to. **[Name]** just stood there, her hands clenched into fists, as she fought back tears.

"…and so, everyone, Allen is back." Komui smiled. He untied the ropes from the exorcist, and let him go greet everyone individually.

They all went to the cafeteria, where they would all chat and eat. **[Name]** stayed behind the group with a bit of distance. Lavi noticed, and waited for her, holding her hand afterwards, squeezing it and giving her a reassuring smile.

Allen could see them. He didn't know what to think. He gave a little sigh and pressed his right hand to his forehead, closing his eyes for a brief second as he walked.

So, he let her go. Why did he want to take her back then?

Wasn't she happier being with Lavi, instead of him?

Janine and Lavi wandered around the Order. He didn't have any missions, so he was currently free. Janine, on the other hand, wanted to do some exploring. She was forced to go with Lavi as her sister wasn't free.

"Where's your head thing?" She asked, pointing to his head.

"Hm? You mean my bandanna?"

"Yeah, that thing."

"I don't have anything on for the day, so I just took it off." He shrugged.

"You look ugly with that banana." Janine grinned.

"It's a bandanna…Hey! I'm not ugly! I'm quite a handsome young man, if I do say so myself!" Lavi crossed his arms and pretended to be annoyed.

Janine punched him in the stomach, making him groan.

"Ow! That hurt!" He complained, "Hey you! Get back here!"

The little girl had run off, about to go to the science rooms. But as she began to turn the corner, she bumped into somebody, hard, and hit the ground.

"Ow!" She screamed out in pain.

"Ah—I'm sorry!"

"Watch where you're going!" She pouted, standing up. She was dusting herself off now. When she looked up, her eyes widened.

"I'm sorry, are you ok?" the white haired man kneeled down to be her height.

Janine couldn't hide her wonder about him, and placed a hand on his head. She ruffled it, then used her other hand to ruffle it some more as her eyes gleamed.

Lavi caught up to her. He was about to laugh as he saw the situation between Allen and Janine. It was like a girl playing with her puppy.

"My big sis said that a person named 'Allen' had really soft hair!" Janine grinned. She finally got her hands out of his hair, "Are you one of those 'Allen'?" She asked.

Allen laughed, "Yes, my name is Allen."

Janine grabbed his hand and tried to pull him, but to no avail.

"Eh?" Allen tilted his head. His gray eyes stared at the little girl's clear irises.

"Come this way!" She said, pulling his hand again.

"You better do as she says…or she'll hit you!" Lavi joked.

"Ah…ok then." Allen stood up.

He was pulled along by Janine through the various corridors of the Order, with Lavi following close behind him. They finally reached a room on one of the floors where exorcists lived.

"Eh? Why are we here?" Allen asked.

Before he even got an answer, Janine slammed the door open and barged in, letting go of his hand and jumping onto her sister's lap, pushing the book she was reading out of her hands.

"Janine?! What are you doing?" **[Name]** asked, trying to steady her little sister.

"Oh, her name was Janine! That's such a cute name!" Allen smiled.

**[Name]** looked up. She felt a lump form in her throat, trying to suffocate her.

"H-Hi…" She managed to say.

"Hello!" Allen replied happily.

Lavi walked in and closed the door.

"Heya, what's up?" Lavi leaned against it, arms behind the back of his head.

Allen walked closer to **[Name]** and once he was about a metre away, he sat down in front of her. Lavi's green eyes were on his every move. He'd better not try anything.

"How old is Janine?" Allen asked, staring at the kid.

**[Name]** didn't know what to think. She didn't think she'd have to see him up close _this _easily. She thought that it would be a few days or something. But, Janine did lead him here, so it was probably purely coincidental.

He – Allen – was speaking normally to her, like how he would everybody else. He was like that a few years back as well. It made her happy – nostalgic.

"She's…about 5 years old." She said, placing a hand on the kid's head.

Janine grinned. "I'm 5! 5!" She put out 5 fingers and counted them from 1 to 5.

Allen laughed along with her, praising the young child as if she were his own. Janine seemed like she liked Allen. That was good. **[Name]** didn't get why Lavi was disliked by her though. It was a bit strange. They were both nice people. She just had painful memories with one.

"Sis! Sis! Did you know I saw Allen and thought about what you said that his hair was really soft?! That's why he's here!" Janine bounced up and down her older sister's lap, making the whole bed move.

"Eh? I told you his hair was soft?" She questioned.

"Yup! Allen followed me here after!"

"No, you dragged him here, munchkin!" Lavi argued.

"I DID NOT!"

"You did so!"

"O-Okay, stop it, you 2!" Allen interjected, laughing at their cute little argument. He was nervously but gently scratching the side of his cheek, "Let's just talk about this…"

"Hmph! If Allen says so!" Janine puffed out her chest and crossed her arms.

Lavi pouted at him, "Aw man, you just had to ruin the fun."

The crown clown user chuckled.

Although **[Name]** was hurting inside, wanting to move on and change her feelings, she couldn't. The person she loved so dearly was in front of her, with her current lover, behind that one. It was as if it were a premonition, as if something was telling her that she can't ignore those feelings. But she had to. She acted out in hopes that she would forget about the love she gave Allen, which was returned, but broken when he left.

**[Name]** thought it over and over, trying to find a solution. She wanted to stay with Lavi – but her love for him wasn't as strong for him as Allen's. She thought that she had loved Lavi more, but she didn't. She realised, that somewhere deep in her heart, Allen was the one that was there.

She sighed deeply.

"So what have you been doing while you were gone, Allen?" Lavi asked, flicking his eyes to the white haired boy.

**[Name]** realised this wasn't a conversation that Janine should hear, so she told her to go find Komui to make her cookies.

Once Janine had left, they were ready to listen. Both Lavi and **[Name]** were slightly on edge for different yet the same reasons. They wanted to know what Allen was doing, why he had gone off.

"Why did you go?" Lavi asked another question.

"I…" Allen opened and closed his mouth like a gold fish, not knowing whether or not to explain to them. He knew that he made them feel all sorts of emotions when he left, but he wasn't sure if he could say the reason.

"I, what?" Lavi pressed.

"I…had some business to take care of." Allen explained with a small smile.

The red head looked at the other male exorcist. He shook his head once and sighed. "If you can't tell us that's fine. But you could…could you not just leave for 5 years?"

"I…" Allen looked down, "I'm sor—"

"You didn't even say bye to me! Seriously, bro?! That's low!" Lavi exclaimed, fake crying.

Allen looked taken aback, but then he laughed, along with Lavi. **[Name]** knew that they used to be good friends. They seem to still be good friends, but she could feel a strain on their relationship.

"Ok, then, anyway, why did you come back?" Lavi changed up the question.

Allen's gray eyes widened, "I…" He stopped mid-sentence and glanced quickly at **[Name]**.

He looked to the wall and stared at the ceiling, "I left something behind. I need to find it again." He said, with a sad smile.

"You left something behind?" Lavi asked.

"Yes."

"…" Lavi was silent but he opened the door and took a step outside before looking over his shoulder, "I'm gonna go get something to eat. Want to come?"

Allen's eyes lit up and he jumped up, following Lavi like a lost puppy. **[Name]** stood up slowly. She sighed deeply and ran her fingers through her soft **[hair colour]** hair.

'_I left something behind.'_

That sentence rang through her head like a bell ringing in her ears – it didn't fade nor did it leave.

She had a nagging feeling that the thing he left, wasn't exactly a 'thing'. She had a hunch it was a person.

And that person was her.


	6. Part 6

Pledge to Him

Part 6

"Can I ask you 2 to go fetch this herb from this place?" Komui asked of Allen and **[Name]**.

"A herb?" **[Name]** questioned, unsure. They'd normally have missions for exorcising, and destroying akuma, and normally, getting a herb would be out of the question. Normally they'd leave the job to the finders or people who are merchants.

The head Chief nodded, "That's right. A herb. Although this is a strange mission, it would be very helpful if you 2 got it for us," Komui pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to Allen. It was a picture of a leafy and stringy plant, with small purple flowers blossoming from it, "That's the herb. It looks a little like a flower, so people are fooled. It's called the 'Killers' Weep'. It sounds bad, but there is a backstory to this. People who live near the area have long sought after this herb, but once they touched it, they were paralysed and couldn't move. That might sound like nothing at first, but this herb lives on the edge of a steep mountain, near the ocean. There's a lake that leads to the ocean, and those who are paralysed are dragged along with the current into the ocean. And since they can't move, they can't swim. Therefore they die."

"So how would we be able to retrieve it? We'll end up like those people, won't we?" Allen asked, thinking.

"That's the funny thing. Normally, as everyone would think, we'd send finders to go and investigate. And yes, we did. They came back with some funny information. They didn't directly touch it, but carried it in a thick towel all the way to where an exorcist was. That exorcist had a parasitic Innocence like you, Allen, and with that arm that was Innocence, they were able to touch it without any side effects. Don't you think that's strange?" Komui explained.

**[Name]** was deep in thought. There was a lot of content in this. "What does this herb do though?"

"According to what the people told the finders, this herb is actually a relaxant for sore muscles. That's its primary use. But if it's blended with some other herbs, it can become a substance which is said to cure most illnesses." Komui thoughtfully said.

"No wonder they want it…" the female said knowingly, understanding.

"Yes. You 2, be careful. It's a dangerous place. I only want you to take back a couple of samples, so we can study it. It's not an _actual_ mission, but it is too dangerous for the finders." The Chief pulled down a map and pointed to a place in France, "It's not too far away, but it should be near the mountains, where the steepest hills are. Also, even though I said that there shouldn't be any finders, there would have to be one there just in case you guys run into trouble. You know him very well, Allen." Komui smiled at him.

"Who…?" Allen cocked his head to the right.

"Toma!" Allen exclaimed, high fiving his former subordinate.

**[Name]** introduced herself to the finder, nodding at him and shaking his hand. They were on their mission now, and were on their way to France's border through boat. They had to go all the way to the other side of France, near the border of Spain, to the mountain called Pyrenees. There were many mountains there that were over 3000m.

When Allen and **[Name]** heard this, they freaked, since the mountains were so high and there were so many. But Toma knew his way around the place, as he'd been there before. He was basically their guide, which is why Komui also got him to tag along with the mission.

On the boat, it wasn't just them. They were granted entry for free, but those boats were high class ships that held high class parties.

During the day hours everybody was outside doing who knows what, and during the night, they were all enjoying themselves inside. Only the exorcists and Toma stayed outside.

It was a hard time for **[Name]**. She was pretty anxious about going on a mission with Allen after all those years. She didn't know what to do. But, even though she felt nervous with everything he said to her, when he smiled, when he even just _talked_, she felt as if she were that giddy little girl she was 7 years ago, when they were still friends and she had acknowledged her feelings.

The woman slapped a hand onto her forehead. It was warm, but she wasn't feverish. "What am I doing?!" She whispered to herself, almost angrily.

"Hm? Did you say something, **[Name]**?" Allen asked, peering over the rails and turning his head to look over at her.

She looked at him and nodded her head quickly, "Y-Yeah! I'm fine!"

"Oh, ok then. That's good." He smiled, turning back to look at the ocean.

She felt a rush of emotions pulse through her. What was she even doing? She felt like she was acting totally unnatural, as if she was guilty of stealing a cookie and hoping not to get caught!

The female suddenly though of Lavi. He was still back at the Order, doing some of his own stuff, and here she was, with Allen.

_Don't forget,__** [Name]**__, you're with Lavi! Don't get mixed up with Allen! I've definitely moved forward! _**[Name]** chanted that to herself, trying to reassure herself. She only hoped it was working.

But, it was easier said than done.


	7. Part 7

Pledge to Him

Part 7

Finally, the trio reached the Pyrenees. It didn't take too long, but it wore them out just a little bit.

"Follow me, exorcists. This way." Toma led the way through the mountains.

There were many steep hills and bumps, rocky terrain and sometimes even grassy areas too. Thankfully, it was the middle of spring so the weather wasn't too cold, which was good for them all.

"If it were winter I'd freeze myself like I did when I played strip poker with Tyki!" Allen shuddered at the thought.

"Hah?" **[Name]** just stared at him, "You did something like that?"

Allen looked a tad bit surprised, but he nodded, smiling, "Yeah! I had to win back Krorykin's stuff, since he got cheated. We won it back fair and square though!" There was a mischievous gleam in Allen's eye as he walked ahead to ask Toma a couple of things.

**[Name]** kept walking, but she had a small smile on her face. She was feeling happy, and hopelessly happy. Then she suddenly realised, she just had a normal conversation with Allen. Not one where she intentionally gave short answers, but one where she initiated a question. Her **[eye colour]** eyes widened.

"What the…" She said to herself. Was she becoming that same person she was before? She didn't even know…

Then, she thought again. Why was she shunning Allen in the first place? Was it because he was gone for 5 years? Or was it because she didn't know how to react to him? She thought it over and over as she walked, thinking of all the possibilities.

So, Allen left for 5 years. She was with Lavi for around 5 years, and they're still going. Then Allen pops up again, and she feels…threatened?

Why would she feel threatened though? **[Name]** was confused. Why did that word even come up into her mind, let alone now? It certainly was strange.

Unless…

**[Name]** halted in her steps, alerting both Toma and Allen.

"That must be it…" Her eyebrows sloped downwards and she pressed her lips together, looking down at the ground.

"Huh? **[Name]**, are you ok?" Allen asked, about to walk up to her.

She immediately hid her real feelings underneath a smiling exterior, saying, "I'm fine, thanks."

She did know, though, that she wasn't fine.

"We're here!" Toma announced, stopping in his tracks.

The cool breeze of the afternoon blew their hair in all different directions, making it absolutely annoying to deal with. **[Name]** and Allen were both forced to tie their hair, one in a ponytail and the other in low twin tails, respectively.

"You look excellent." Toma joked, pointing at Allen's cute hairstyle.

He pouted, "I do, don't I? He drawled.

The finder laughed, before getting down to business. He pointed to the _incredibly _steep slope towering before them, nearly at the very top.

"This is what you have to climb," He walked over to a little side path that went up the mountain side, but it was very narrow – only one person could pass by at a time, but they had to be clinging to the wall if they didn't want to fall, "It's quite the challenge, as one step could make you fall and you could injure yourself – or even worse, you could die."

"Anyway," He pointed to a couple of flowers near where they were standing, "That's what you have to get. Those ones are pretty close to us, so it shouldn't be a problem for you guys to get it, especially Allen." Toma nodded towards him, "But Allen, you should be careful, since even though it's not at the steepest part yet, there's still the ocean right next to it."

"The oceans next to it?!" the white haired man exclaimed, "Where? I can't see any."

"That's the whole point of this flower's story. It's called the 'Killers' Weep' because you don't know that there's an ocean here unless you have prior knowledge." Toma explained.

"That makes completely no sense, since oceans are so big and vast, yet we can't see it?" [Name] stared at him with confusion.

"That's somewhat correct. You can actually see the ocean, but you'd need to be…how will I say this…sliding." Toma tried.

"Sliding?" Both exorcists stared at him with a cocked brow.

"Those that have fallen to their deaths don't just fall straight down from the ledge, you know. Well, it could happen but they'd only break a couple of bones…but they wouldn't end up in the ocean. Anyway, apparently it rains here every day and every night, and this might sound strange, but the ledges seem to become wider. I'm not sure if it's the mountain's properties, but it also gets really slippery and people won't be able to hold on for a long time, therefore they slip and they follow the wider ledge to an opening, probably somewhere on the sides of the mountain, that connect to the ocean. If I had to describe it, it should be called a 'ride'." Toma checked the sides of the mountain side.

"So when will it rain again?" Allen asked.

"I'm not sure, but maybe in a couple of hours. It rains every morning and every night, and even occasionally the afternoons. But today we got lucky, and it's not raining." Toma sighed.

"Alright, so what are we waiting for? Let's climb it!" Allen pushed his uniform sleeves up and ran to the ledge, where he carefully and slowly shifted his weight foot to foot to get along the narrow side.

[Name] was about to follow suit, but then she realised that she was an equipment type user, one that used the bow and arrow. She was hesitant, and turned to the mission guide.

"Toma, how am I supposed to do this? I don't have a parasitic Innocence!" She said with haste and worry.

"Ah…" Toma's eyes widened and he realised that too.

Why was she even here?

"I can't help Allen now…Why did Komui send me here even when you guys had it all under wraps?" **[Name]** stared at Allen's slowly moving figure as he inched towards the flower.

"All I can do is sit here and watch…" She said with fear.

Fear for not herself, but for Allen, who was basically risking himself on this mission to get this flower. And it wasn't even a real mission in exterminating akuma.

By the time Allen had gotten the flower and was picking it off, they heard a soft rumble in the sky. Instantly, Toma and **[Name]** looked up and saw dark grey clouds advancing towards them at a quick pace.

"Allen! Hurry up! It's about to rain!" **[Name]** shouted, trying to get as close as she can to the mountain side.

"Ah! Ok!" Allen plucked the flower with his parasitic Innocence hand, and made his way back towards where he came from. He needed to go back, so he quickly get back safely, and to **[Name]**.

After all, he did say he was coming back for her. Not with this flower, but he still had to make it out alive.

By the time Allen was halfway through, the clouds had come all the way and were surrounding the mountain. A thunderous clap was heard, and the rain started to fall.

"It's raining…!" **[Name]** started to panic.

Toma _did _say that the mountainous terrain would have a change in properties!

The 2 watched as Allen inched closer and closer to a place where he could get off safely. It was so far so good, but as the rain started to get heavier, they could see parts chipping away from the mountain side and also widening.

This was it. The widening happened at the top. It was a very quick process, but soon, it had the white haired man in its grasp, as he slipped onto his back, and began to get swept away by the raging torrents.

"Allen?!" Both **[Name]** and Toma were alerted, faces full of shock and worry.

"Allen!" **[Name]** shouted, running closer on impulse.

"**[Name]!** Stop! You mustn't go near it!" Toma grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"But he—!" She tried to shake off Toma's hand, but to no avail, "Don't you care that he's going to get swept away?! That he's going to die?!" She cried.

Toma was speechless. He instinctively let go of her hand, and she ran.

_There's got to be something I can do! Something…anything!_

**[Name] **stared around, trying to find anything to stop Allen from falling. There were trees, but that was it.

"Nothing?!" She gasped.

She heard Allen shout and immediately ran faster. She felt the tinkling of something in her chest pocket, and pulled it out. It was her Innocence, of a mini bow and arrow. It could grow to a larger size to fit her, but currently, it stayed small.

Her eyes looked at Allen, then back at her Innocence, then Allen. She clenched the weapon in her hands.

_I can do something about this!_

"Invoke, Innocence!" She shouted, holding it out. It had a glow so bright that she was engulfed.

The Innocence, now big enough for her to grasp in her hands, was in front of her, floating. She reached towards it and grabbed it, stopping her run with a skid, then a halt.

Narrowing her eyes, she pulled the bow back, and an arrow manifested. She aimed it towards Allen, who was quickly getting pulled away by the rain. He couldn't hold much longer with his Innocence dragging along the ground and holding the flower at the same time.

She aimed to his clothes, specifically, the bit of clothing that covered his legs. Focusing, she let the arrow go. It hit straight through his uniform and the mountain, sticking it into place.

Allen was surprised, glancing at **[Name]**. "Hah?!" He shouted, seeing an arrow nearly impale his leg.

Another arrow came, followed by many others. It hit various areas that were Allen's uniform, making him shout out as he thought he'd get hit. None of them hit him though, but went through his uniform, holding him into place.

The rain would come down where Allen was, but he managed to block the water coming onto his face, by shielding it with his hand, deflecting it.

"**[Name]**!" Toma shouted, catching up to her.

He could see her shoulders rising and lowering quickly. He saw that her Innocence was activated, and that her grip on the bow was so tight, her knuckles were white. Her fingers that held the string back, were bleeding. She wasn't shooting any arrows, but she still had the bow up.

"**[Name]**?" Toma asked, walking slowly to her.

Her knees gave out and she slumped onto the ground, her Innocence deactivated. She was breathing heavily, her eyes wide.

Toma pat her back, then glanced towards Allen. He was in a funny position, but otherwise, held in place and safe. He gave a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, **[Name]**. You saved Allen."


	8. Part 8

Pledge to Him

Part 8

"Thank you for getting the flower back! Now we can examine it and see what we can do with it!" Komui said happily, giving a thumbs up to Allen and **[Name**].

Allen was in casual dress, covered in a large warm towel, as he sneezed and snorted. His uniform needed a repair. "T-That was howwible, Komui…! Dis is a bad cowld…" the white haired man sneezed again.

**[Name]** was sitting on another chair, but her fingers were bandaged. She was in a similar situation, wrapped in a warm towel, but only with a minor cold.

"Thank you both, seriously." Komui's tone was now serious. His dark eyes glanced at both Allen and **[Name]**, before flicking to the purple flower on his desk, in an airtight container, "That was a very dangerous mission. I'm sorry for endangering your lives." Komui bowed his head down a slight bit.

"N-No…" **[Name]** shook her head, "It's alright, Komui. We came out safe and sound." She tried smiling at the end, but she remembered what happened vividly, so the only thing she could do was plaster on a fake one.

Komui looked at her and lightly sighed, "Even if you were safe and sound, Allen wasn't. If it had not been for you, Allen would have surely—"

"Don't say that, Komu…" Allen said, "I'm stwong, wemember?" He grinned at the end.

It puzzled Komui, but then he smiled and laughed light heartedly, "I see. Alright, you guys can go. Thanks for the report."

"So that's what happened, eh?" Lavi's arms were behind his head as he walked together with his girlfriend. His green eye glanced over at her, seeing dark circles forming under her eyes.

"You need more sleep." He stated, stopping for a brief moment. He leaned down and placed both hands on either side of her cheeks, softly pressing them in and then letting go. He pressed his forehead to hers, feeling her temperature. It was normal.

"Lavi…?" She whispered.

He could feel her breath on his face. He cheekily placed a hand on her waist and the other behind her head, gently guiding her into a kiss.

Their lips met. The red head kissed her with a loving passion, but it was not returned. He let her go and stared into her eyes, confusion etched into them.

"Lavi…" She said gently.

They were looking right at him, but at the same time, they were looking elsewhere.

"Are you okay? You don't seem to be yourself." Lavi said softly, almost whispering it.

"I…" **[Name]** looked down, feeling her heart drop to the ground. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to convey her feelings right now, but when she opened her mouth, she just couldn't say it.

"I'm just…tired, is all." She managed to smile. It was yet again, fake.

She felt that her life just became even harder. She was already struggling to get a grip on reality, then it gets warped up and changed again.

Lavi caresses her cheek, before pecking her on the forehead. Her cheeks tinged a dusty pink, but it was gone the instant it came.

"All right. Rest up, you had a rough time before. I'll see you later." Lavi ruffled her hair and went off.

Her memory was hazy. When Lavi kisses her on the forehead, she feels a burning sensation where that kiss was, and feels herself revitalised. But, that was before. When he does it now, it feels as if…it was almost heart wrenching.

Was it because it was the same thing Allen did when they were still together?

**[Name]** shook her head roughly, but it only ended up with her seeing green spots in her vision. She decided to retire to her room, to rest up.

"I think she's treating me normally again!" Allen grinned at Tim. Tim chomped on a piece of bread that they sneakily brought into their room, and began to eat it quickly.

"You're agreeing, yeah?" The white haired exorcist was ecstatic.

He was really happy that **[Name]** wasn't shunning him, as she was one of his closest friends. _Was_. He honestly didn't know what to think when they met again after a long time, and quite frankly, he thought that their friendship was over because she was being distant and cold. It was contradictory to what was displayed when she was with him the other day. He guessed that she was only acting that way so that he wouldn't get so close to her…

…_and hurt her again._

Allen shook that thought out of his mind – this was no time to think of that!

He slapped his cheeks a couple of times, so they burned red, and stood up.

"I'd better set things straight!" He said with resolve.

Tim rocked in the air, showing his confusion. Allen looked at his funny movements and cracked a smile. He exited out of the room and went to where he thought **[Name]** would be and ended up in front of her room.

**[Name]** heard a knock on the door. She placed the book she was currently reading down. "Who is it?" She asked, her voice projecting to the other side of the door.

"It's me."

She recognised that voice.

It was Allen.

But why was he here?

Her heart thumped wildly through her chest. She inhaled deeply, trying to calm her heart. She didn't feel hostile to him anymore – it was strange. But deep down, she knew, she felt relieved that she wasn't.

"Come in." She said with a strong voice, "The door's open."

As per said, she could see the door handle twist to the side, before being opened. White hair peeked through, then Allen was there. He looked at the female and smiled, then he saw a book on her lap.

"Oh, did I interrupt you while you were reading?" He asked.

"No, not really." She placed the book onto her bedside table and crossed her legs. "What brings you here?"

**[Name]** was honestly very surprised how she could act normally again. Maybe it just took her some time, is all?

Allen stared at her, wondering when she had ever crossed her legs. It wasn't uncommon, but he felt that the once very innocent and loving **[Name]**, had become a lot sassier and mature.

_OH WHAT AM I THINKING?!_ Allen beat himself up mentally. _I should stop, she has a boyfriend._

"Uh…I just wanted to…apologize." Allen looked away for the moment, then looked into her eyes.

**[Name]** narrowed her eyes slightly, "And why are you apologizing?"

"I…I want to apologize for back then, for leaving you all alone." Allen said quietly.

She just heard him. It made her memories of that day come back and haunt her. She pressed her lips into a thin line, feeling the warmth leave her body.

She was silent, not saying anything.

Allen noticed she had not said a word, and that prompted him to continue, "I had you promise me something. That you'd be happy. I wanted you to be happy, even when I was gone." He looked up to look at her, "And I can see that you're happy, with Lavi." **[Name]** shifted uncomfortably. "I know I might be in the way since I've come back here and that I've brought you nothing but trouble, but I sincerely hope for your happiness." Allen's lips curled into a smile, but not just his every day smiles. It was a sad smile. He hid his sadness behind a mask of happiness, so to not worry everybody.

Just like he wanted others to be happy, he himself was not.

"That's all. Thanks for your time." Allen nodded his head and began making his way out of the room.

"Yeah, you made me promise that." Her tone of voice was somewhat dark.

Allen stopped in his tracks and turned a little bit around, standing diagonally to face her.

"Yeah, I'm happy. But what's happy? What _kind _of happy? Happy in everyday situations, happy to be alive, happy in general, happy with _what_?" **[Name]**'s voice became louder and louder, and she was now nearly shouting at him.

Allen just stood there, his grey coloured eyes wide.

"How can you be so _sure _that I'm happy?" She asked, her **[eye colour]** eyes just staring at him, "You leave and then you waltz back into my life without a care in the world, and then you come and say that I'm _happy_?" She exclaimed.

There was a break, where she was breathing hard, her hands clenched into fists, as she started to calm down.

"Don't ever assume you know me as well as you did!" She crossed her arms as her voice quieted down into an angry bark.

Allen just stood there, a mixture of surprise and shock at what she had just said. Was she bottling it all up and releasing it now? He had absolutely no clue.

"…I'm sorry…" He managed to choke out.

"You damn well should be." She spat.

Allen gulped. She sounded almost like Kanda when he wanted to kill something. And that wasn't a good thing to hear.

He heard her sigh deeply. "Well, is that all you wanted to say?" She asked, voice calmer now.

Allen blinked a couple of times, taking in the whole situation, "Y-yeah…" He said hesitantly.

"Really? You don't sound like it." She observed.

"…" Allen was speechless.

The person he once knew, had changed from a fragile person, to a much stronger person. Is this what 5 years does to a person? Make their spirit stronger?

"And no, I'm not strong." **[Name]** replied to his thoughts.

"Hah?! How did you—" Allen began.

"It was written all over your face." She pointed to him, "I'm merely just blowing off some steam. You have nothing more to say, right? You can go."

"Ah..y-yeah…" Allen opened the door, about to go out.

"I'm not as happy as you think I am, Allen. See you later." **[Name]** said quietly.

Allen heard her as he closed the door behind him. He looked back at the door, wanting to see to the other side.

_What did she mean?_


	9. Part 9

Pledge to Him

Part 9

"**[Name]**!" Lavi popped into her room, grinning like a madman. He came with a plate in his hand, of chocolate dipped strawberries, which was her favourite kind od easy to make dessert. Jerry had told them he learnt it from someone when he was travelling around London.

"Lavi?" **[Name]**'s eyes went wide. She was still standing in her position of crossed arms, just from before, when Allen had come in to apologize. Now, only a couple of minutes after Allen left, Lavi had just come, bearing sweets.

"I heard some loud voices so I came here. It sounded like you, so I got a couple of these _chocolate coated strawberries_ that you like so much! Jerry made you a lot!" Lavi laughed, a slight blush on his cheeks.

The female exorcists' hands went down to her sides and Lavi came closer, offering her the treat. As she ate, Lavi watched her.

She was on her second one when he spoke again, "I saw Allen leaving this room earlier." He spoke in a monotone, but a type that also had a curious touch to it.

**[Name]** looked at the red head, her **[eye colour]** eyes slightly widening.

_He saw?_ _He sounds kind of…dead about it…is he upset? _There were a flurry of questions in her mind, but they were dismissed when Lavi raised an eyebrow at her.

"He came out looking a bit…shocked, I'd say? What did you do to him? Was it some kind of torture show in here or something?" He joked, laughing.

**[Name]** released a breath that she didn't know she was holding.

_Wait…why was I holding my breath?_

"No, I didn't _do _anything to him. I just told him a couple of things." She shrugged it off, not deeming it that important.

"You told him a couple of things?" Lavi asked, repeating basically what she just said.

**[Name]** could tell that he wanted to know more. There was curiosity sparked in his emerald green eyes, and an expectant expression that told her that his girlfriend should tell him what he told the other guy.

"Don't worry about it, Lavi." She waved her hand and took another strawberry, "It wasn't that important."

"If it's not that important then can't you tell me?" Lavi asked, staring at you with big, puppy like eyes.

**[Name] **gulped, then sighed. She decided to revert the conversation to something else that he said earlier. "You said that you heard me shouting? Couldn't you have heard it from that?"

Lavi stopped and thought for a brief moment, before shrugging. "Nah, I didn't. It sounded kind of…muffled…?" His expression screwed up before he tried again, "No, I wouldn't say that…I did heard a couple of things…you guys were talking about 'happiness', weren't you?" He asked, an eyebrow raised as he stared at the corner of the room, his arms crossed.

**[Name] **was surprised that he had known what they were talking about. Then, she remembered that he said something about not knowing what the conversation was about. She furrowed her brows a bit, thinking of a couple of possibilities. She knew for one, that her shouting couldn't have escaped too much into the hallways, so he had to be close to hear her shouting. Second of all, he hears their main topic, about 'happiness'. Thirdly, he says that he doesn't know what they were talking about. **[Name] **could only think of one thing: Lavi was lying to her.

Sure, she might have had a calculative mind, but she was no detective or genius. It was place the puzzle pieces together, and BAM! She got the answer. But it wasn't an answer that she was expecting – nor would have ever thought of if she wasn't so cautious as of late.

Even though she knew this fact, she tried to stay normal, and kept eating the strawberries, before taking the last one. She held onto it, but then realised that Lavi hadn't eaten any.

"Oh, sorry. I basically ate them all!" **[Name] **said sheepishly.

"Hm? That's fine. I'll get some later." Lavi shrugged.

"Ok, whatever you say." She was about to pop it into her mouth, but she felt her wrist being held. She stared at him in confusion, "I thought you didn't want any."

"I said later…and now is later." Lavi's green eyes were playful – maybe a little _too_ playful.

He steered her hand away from her mouth and took a bite of the strawberry tip, before shocking and surprising her with a full on kiss as their lips connected.

"Mmhfgh?!"

Lavi's arms had come behind her neck and waist, pushing her a little too forcefully on the lips. **[Name] **could taste the strawberry and chocolate on his lips, but she could also smell alcohol. As much as she liked kissing Lavi, this was unexpected. Was he tipsy because he drank some alcohol? He couldn't be drunk because he didn't reek of it!

With her arms, she pushed at his chest, trying to push him away, her eyes squeezed shut. That only made him push against her harder, and she felt his tongue slip into her mouth.

She had enough. She didn't feel like doing anything at this point in time, she instead of pushing, she kneed him in the stomach, making him double over, disconnecting from her.

**[Name] **panted slightly and wiped her mouth, wiping it on the back of her dress.

"What was that for?!" She exclaimed.

Holding onto his stomach, Lavi raised his head and looked at her with an unreadable expression.

"Lavi, are you drunk?" She asked.

Lavi's bandanna fell onto the ground and his hair fell over his eye patched eye.

"I'm not drunk." He stated, standing up straighter.

"Then why do you smell of alcohol?" The female retorted.

"…I was drinking with the panda." The red head spoke, his lips almost looking like they didn't move at all.

**[Name] **just stared at him, not knowing what to do. She finally just sighed and shook her head once, running a hand through her **[hair colour]** hair.

"Alright, I'll dismiss the kiss but I want to know something." Her eyes were steady on him.

Lavi cocked his head to the side. "Hm?"

"Were you eavesdropping on Allen and I?"

The red head was silent – his beautiful green eyes widening a slight bit. He stared right back into her eyes, then looked away, then back at them again.

"What of it?"

"So you were." **[Name] **stated.

"I never said I didn't." He took a step forward, his voice dropping to a low whisper, "What do you mean you're not happy? What does that _mean_?" It was full of anguish and pain, as if he felt something snap in his heart.

**[Name]** understood that feeling all too well, but she didn't know how to explain it to him. "I…" She was speechless.

Why did she even say that? What was the purpose? There must have been something going on in her mind when she said that. But what was it? She was drawing a mental blank.

Pressing her palm against her forehead, she shook her head. "I…I'm not too sure myself. I must have said it out of annoyance." She tried that. Hopefully it was convincing enough for Lavi to stop pressing about the subject matter.

"No, you're lying. You know what it is, but you're not conscious of it." His hand reached up and touched her cheek, leaving it there. This brought her attention to him more.

Her eyes were a mixture of concern, confusion and surprise. She didn't expect him to say those things, neither was she expecting him to be so careful with her after she just kneed him with all her might.

"I'm not conscious of it…?" She questioned, "What do you mean? I just said that I wasn't so sure of it myself…"

"What I mean is…is that you're no longer happy with me. Isn't that right?" Lavi's voice was smooth and gentle, sad and heartbreaking.

Her eyes started watering. She tried to blink them away, but to no avail.

"What do you mean I'm not happy with you?" She asked. Although her empathetic nature towards those who were distressed and sad was high, she felt that, although he was sad, she didn't feel the same sadness from herself.

"Why is it that, I always fail with you in the end?" Lavi asked, his finger brushing her cheek. His eyes were on her the whole time, keeping her in his gaze, in his hold.

"I never said that I was unhappy with you!" **[Name]** managed to say.

"I've seen how you looked at _him_. You know, the guy who abandoned you?" Lavi said it without any emotion in his voice. **[Name]**'s fingers clenched into a fist. "I remember when you would have sleepless nights because of him. I comforted you, and eased your pain. But…even though you said you loved me, did you really?"

"In the past, I really was happy with you! You were my light then, and—"

"But not your light now. Isn't that right?"

**[Name]**'s eyes widened.

She only managed to utter out a measly, "What?"

Taking a portion of her hair, he let it run through his fingers, "You are my light, and you will always be my light. But, your light is not me and it will never be me. Your light is _Allen_." He gently smiled at her and his hand reached for hers, squeezing it in his hand, "You can't deny it, it was obvious in the beginning." He chuckled, but it was not just a chuckle to express laughter, but a chuckle that seemed like he was choking.

"But I—"

"What can I say? The only person that I can't get is the one that I want." He let go of her hand and touched her cheek again, but this time, he leaned in and kissed her gently on the forehead, before smiling at her, "I'll be with you all the way. But don't be an idiot and come back to me, ok? I'll definitely keep you next time!" He joked.

With a glide in his step he walked towards the door.

"Lavi! Wait!" **[Name] **cried.

"Don't you have someone else to call for now?" A smiling Lavi stared at her.

It sent a chill through her spine and an ache in her heart.

He closed the door gently behind him, leaving **[Name]** all alone.

"…I really did mean it when I said I loved you…" She whispered.

A tear slid down her cheek.


	10. Part 10

Pledge to Him

Part 10

"Oi, Allen!" Lavi called after his white haired friend.

Allen stopped walking and turned around, gray eyes holding surprise, "Eh, Lavi? Hello." He smiled at the red head as he caught up with him.

But he was surprised when he did. He didn't have his bandanna on and his eyes were slightly red from closer inspection.

"Are you okay?" Allen asked with concern.

The equip Innocence user waved it off as if it was nothing. "I'm fine. I was cutting some onions just then. They really like making people cry, don't they?" He grinned.

Allen had a nagging feeling at the back of his mind, that that wasn't the case. Lavi may be a good actor, but that doesn't beat intuition.

The 2 of them walked towards the fountain in the garden. It was a warm and sunny day, albeit the cool breeze. The sun shined down on them as they lay down on the ground to relax.

It felt like years until one of them broke the silence.

"Why did you come back to the Order?" Lavi asked, his gaze staying on the sky.

Allen looked over, "Haven't I told you? I wanted to take back something precious that I left behind."

Lavi was silent for a moment, but then he spoke. "Want I want, isn't what I get." A sigh escaped his lips and he lifted himself up into a crouch, eyeing the white haired man before standing up and walking inside.

Allen's eyebrows furrowed. "Lavi…?" He said absentmindedly.

That was strange. What was it that he meant? It was strange for him to just go off without explaining himself.

Allen pondered at the thought.

"What he wanted…? What does that even mean…?" Allen shrugged to himself and closed his eyes, beginning to fall into a light slumber, as he heard a set of footsteps walk towards him.

Meanwhile, **[Name]** hugged onto her pillow, crushing it with her arms. She glared at the door in front of her, daring anybody to come in and face her wrath.

She was furious with how things went today – first she got apologized to, then she got dumped? What kind of game was this?

Initially she was quite upset and she cried tears, but soon it turned into frustration and anger, which resulted into what she was doing now.

She deeply breathed in and out – trying to calm herself. It was not an easy task.

"Dammit…" She muttered, throwing her pillow off to the side.

She was about to hurl a couple of more words at no one in particular, until a knock on the door caught her attention. Glaring at the door again, she called out, "Yes? Who's there?"

"It's me, Lenalee." A feminine voice said from the other side.

**[Name]**'s eyes widened a slight bit and her eyebrow was raised. She walked over to the door and opened it, seeing a smiling Lenalee on the other side.

"Oh hey there." She greeted.

**[Name]** smiled, feeling her anger subside. "Hey, Lenalee. What brings you here?"

"My brother actually had everyone assemble in the hall. Apparently we're going to have a big feast tonight since you and Allen brought back that really dangerous flower, and that the science team found something to make it into." She giggled, waving a hand in front of her face, "It's technically a celebration for your successful mission!"

**[Name]** blushed at the compliments and shyly rubbed the back of her head, "Okay...that's cool!"

Arriving at the hall, people were already seated in their seats around the tables. Komui and a couple of scientists such as Johnny were all seated around one, and **[Name] **spotted Allen, Lavi and the crew by one table with a couple of others.

She gulped and Lenalee led them over to them, in which she sat down next to Allen. That only left 1 seat left, which was besides Lavi. **[Name] **met his green eyes and smiled, sitting down next to him.

It was super awkward, as he had just dumped her. She could still see the slight redness around his eyes, which was covered by his hair and smiles.

Allen, on the other hand, stared at **[Name] **and Lavi. He could feel the tension between them, and felt Lenalee nudge him with her elbow, looking at the 2 before to Allen.

The white haired man shrugged; it wasn't any of their business.

Komui stood up and walked to the makeshift stage at the far end of the hall, which held a big microphone like equipment. He held it between his hands and caught everyone's attention.

"Everybody! We're here so that I can tell you that we got that flower that we've been annoyed by since the start of this year!" Komui pumped his fist up, earning a couple of cheers from the finders. He pushed his glasses up, "On a side note, the ones who brought it back were our fellow exorcists, Allen and **[Name]**!" His hand pointed to their table and they earned many cheers from the room, making them feel exposed and shy. "They did an amazing job, and because of that, the science team made a concoction that helps to speed up the process of healing! We also found that it was an anti-inflammatory plant, and it also helps with the healing processes and injuries." Komui grinned, "And because of this, we're going to have a feast tonight!" He cheered loudly.

Following his cheers, everyone else cheered loudly, deafening the ears.

"Also, whilst we're here, I'm also going to announce that we're going to have a special ball in a weeks' time!" Komui said happily, "There will be many people invited, including nobles and those associated with the Black Order. Try to dress up as best as you can. It will be held in the biggest hall downtown! Oh, and you'll be provided carriages to get down there."

Cheering loudly again, the people's chatter started to become louder as Komui stepped down from the stage. The food started to come out and they were set on the tables, with huge amounts of different foods here and there.

"The ball sounds exciting, doesn't it?" Lenalee said, biting into a pork bun.

**[Name]** nodded, "It sounds pretty good. Do you have anybody to go with, Lenalee?" She jokingly asked.

She thought a bit, but smiled and said no.

"Eh? Really?" **[Name]** asked, her eyes wide, "Not even Bak Chan?"

"Um…Komui doesn't want me to go with him." Lenalee said matter-of-factly.

Allen stifled a laugh besides her. Lavi chuckled.

"Poor guy…" **[Name]** laughed.

"What about you, **[Name]**? Are you going with Lavi?" Lenalee asked, eyeing the 2 of them.

**[Name]**'s eyes widened slightly and she looked over to Lavi, who stared back at her. There was a slightly panicked look in **[Name]**'s eyes, but Lavi was calm, serene.

Looking back at the others, Lavi shook his head. "No, we're not going to be going together."

This earned a shocked look from a couple of people from the table, other than Lenalee and Allen.

"What?!" Lenalee exclaimed.

Lavi poked his food, "It's as it is." He seemed ridged.

"So…you 2…?" Lenalee stared at them.

**[Name]** nodded, "Yes."

She swear she saw a shine of hope in Allen's eyes, but then it was masked by surprise as he stared at Lavi, then **[Name]**.

"Oh…" Lenalee was speechless.

**[Name]** just gave her a small smile, but resumed eating, not speaking.

Lavi resumed eating, but **[Name] **could feel that he wasn't that close to her anymore. It made her feel colder and lonelier than she had been before.

She was deep in thought, thinking about what was going to happen now. She hoped that she and Lavi would remain friends, instead of just stiff towards each other.

"Uh…" Allen broke the silence between them all, grinning sheepishly, "I—"

"Hey, Allen, [**Name**], I think you 2 should go together." Lavi cut Allen off. He was pointing his fork at Allen, then the girl next to him, "Wouldn't that be a good set up? We're all friends, aren't we?" Lavi chewed on his food.

**[Name**]'s eyebrows furrowed slightly, trying get what he was saying. She suddenly realised, then clenched her teeth and grabbed a fork, stabbing a dumpling harshly before bringing it to her mouth, a slightly angry look on her face.

Allen gulped at how she handled the dumpling. Maybe it was best not to talk to her right now…

"So, what do you say, Allen, **[Name**]?" Lavi asked, trying to push them to answer.

Neither of them gave a reply, but Allen stood up to say something to **[Name**]. "[**Name]**, uh…if it's okay with you, would you like to go with m—" Allen began.

"You're such a gentlemen, Allen, of course I'd go with you." **[Name**] said with gritted teeth. She stabbed another dumpling, but this time broke the plate it was on.

"Oh. Oops." She mumbled.

Lavi visibly gulped, thinking to himself, 'Maybe that was the wrong thing to ask?'

She glared at the red head from the side of her eye. She knew. She knew what he was trying to do here. He was trying to set her up with Allen!

"Do you have a death wish…?" **[Name]** said in the calmest manner, but just so that Lavi only heard.

He gulped again, laughing nervously. He was not used to this side of **[Name**].

She didn't get a reply, so she shrugged it off. Before, she was angry. But now, she just wants to get away from all this and live a happy Lavi and Allen free month. But she knew that was impossible. So she had to deal with it.

"O-oh…is that so?" Allen said, smiling a little.

**[Name]** looked into his gray coloured eyes and saw the emotion in them. He was happy, yet conflicted. She wondered what he was conflicted about.

They were now silent, the only noise being everyone else partying and feasting on their food. Lenalee was called over by the Chief and she excused herself, whilst Lavi was needed by the panda.

That left **[Name] **and Allen.

Looking at her sullen state, he didn't exactly know what to do. Just like Lavi did a couple of minutes back, he didn't want her to stab another dumpling and crack the plate along with it.

He saw that her fingers were still bandaged up from that mission they had. "Ah, **[Name],** how are your fingers?" He tried conversing.

She just looked up at him and then back at her fingers, moving them around. "Well, they're able to move, but the nurse told me that I have to wait a while for the skin to grow back on the tips. Apparently I overdid it." She said with a sigh.

Allen nodded slowly. She was talking more than usual, which was good? He didn't even know. But what he did know, was that she had saved him on their last mission. He was incredibly thankful.

"Thanks for saving my butt back there." Allen laughed, grinning stupidly at her.

**[Name]** blinked once, before feeling the blood rush to her cheeks. She looked away as they tainted a light shade of pink.

"You're welcome."

It was silent once again; but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. It was like she was in a friend's company. That kind of comfort.

"Hey, **[Name]**." Allen said, catching her attention.

She glanced at him, seeing that he was watching her. He had a serious expression on his face, but a kindness to it that made her want to hug him.

Wait. What did she just think? Mentally slapping herself, she brought herself back into reality.

"Hm?"

"I'm not going to apologize again, because I think you're going to hurt me," He stiffly laughed, remembering how close she was to hurting him, "But…" He looked down at his hand, then met her eyes, "I want to start over, as friends."

**[Name]** raised a brow, "Weren't we already friends?"

The white haired man just laughed, but it was not one of happiness. "We…went off to a…rocky start." He chose his words carefully.

She didn't respond and just sat, thinking of what to say. Surprisingly, the amount of noise around them didn't seem to annoy her, even though they were the only ones having a serious talk in the whole room.

"Allen. I…don't think that we can ever start over." **[Name]** paused, looking at his reaction.

He looked defeated and his eyes were wide, lips in a thin line. He had mild confusion drawn on his features as well. He opened his mouth to say something, but **[Name]** shoved a piece of bread into it to stop him.

"I wasn't finished. Eat it and listen." She ordered. Allen nodded slowly and took small bites of the bread. "…as I was saying, we can't start over. Not as friends anyway. We've already become friends, so what's the point of starting as friends again? You can't just break a friendship and sew it back together again." **[Name]** elaborated.

Allen made an "o" shape with his mouth, nodding in understanding. He then grinned, showing off his pearly whites as his cheeks went a little pink. He was a little embarrassed.

Rubbing the back of his neck shyly, he mumbled, looking down, "I thought you were going to say something else."

**[Name]** giggled, catching his attention. "I don't hate you Allen. I actually quite like you."

"…huh?" Allen's gray eyes widened and his mouth dropped open a bit. His arm let go of his neck and just stayed in that position, staring at her with shock.

**[Name]** didn't know why Allen was reacting that way, was it something she said? She tilted her head a little, unsure, trying to remember back to what her words were. She could feel the heat in her cheeks now, making her cover up her face with her hands, and looking down, "No! I mean—"

"Sis!" A familiar voice shouted as she threw herself onto **[Name]**'s back, hugging around her neck. She lurched forward but caught herself with her hands, preventing the collision between her face and the table.

"Janine?" **[Name] **said with exasperation.

"Hi big sis!" She grinned at her, before looking to her opposite, seeing her favourite person there, besides her older sister. "Allen!" She let go of **[Name] **and went over to Allen.

"Um…" **[Name]**'s smile was tight lipped as she watched Janine sit on Allen's lap, eating whatever food was on top of the table.

"Sorry about that." She sighed in defeat, "She does this to people she likes."

Allen just laughed, "It's alright."

"Allen, can you be my big brother?" Janine looked up at Allen. He looked down slightly, hoping not to bump her.

"Uh…" He started.

"Please?! Pretty please with a cherry on top?" She pleaded.

With a sigh of defeat, Allen submitted, nodding, then smiling. "Sure, Janine."

"Yay! I love you big brother!" Allen was hugged by Janine, her face was rubbing against his shirt and smearing whatever food she had on her face before onto it.

"Janine…" **[Name]** said with slight warning in her voice.

"Nah, **[Name]**, it's ok." Allen had a smile on his face.

"She really likes you." **[Name]** sighed, resting her hands on the table.

"I guess she does."

As the room started to clear out now that it was becoming late and people were tired, they could hear Janine's soft snoring as she slept on Allen's shoulder.

"Ah. She's asleep." **[Name]** pointed out, "I'll take her back to her room."

"Nah, it's ok. I've got it. Just show me which way it is." Allen held onto Janine as he stood up, trying to not make any major movements that would wake her.

As they exited the feast room, they were silent as they made their way along the various hallways to the rooms. They occasionally talked about a few things, but it was just idle chatter, just to fill up the silence.

Once they reached **[Name]**'s room, where Janine also stayed, Allen placed Janine down onto the bed. **[Name]** sat on it, staring at her little sister, as the moonlight shone in from the tall windows. Suddenly, she felt a pair of strong arms hug her around the shoulders, pulling her into an embrace. Her chin rested on his shoulder.

"Allen…?" She was confused.

"I'm grateful that we're talking again like we used to." She could feel his breath on her ear, making her heart skip a beat at how close they were. He let her go and ruffled her hair, before grinning and quickly making his way out. "Goodnight!"

**[Name]** just gaped, her hand on her head as she felt another round of red cheeks beginning to take place. She slapped her cheeks with hand hands, shaking her head along with it.

"No! No! No!" She repeated.

"I can't fall for him again…" She looked out the window sadly.

_What if he leaves me again_?


	11. Part 11

Pledge to Him

Part 11

"You 2 will be going to Spain." Komui tapped his stick onto the map that was in front of **[Name]** and Allen, "You will be going with a couple of finders. They'll show you the way. The reason I'm sending you there is to check out if the abnormal happenings are related to Innocence.

"What abnormal happenings?" Allen questioned.

"There have been a couple of deaths that were recorded within 3 days of each other." The Chief answered.

"Deaths? Are you saying that it's akuma related deaths?" The white haired man questioned further.

"Hm…that may or may not be the case. We don't know yet. That's why I'm sending you guys there." Komui shrugged.

"I don't think that murders are considered an abnormal happening." **[Name]** piped up, sighing softly, "What's the abnormality in that? Is there something else?" She stared at Komui in the eyes, trying to search for other answers.

"There has been people that have said that they saw the victims before they were murdered, with the same man. Each and every one of them. It's also strange because the victims' bodies were…" He grimaced, "mummified."

**[Name]** and Allen shuddered as a cold chill sent a shiver down their spine.

"Mummified?" They asked.

Komui nodded grimly. He looked through his papers before finding the right one and cringed, handing it to the pair of exorcists.

**[Name]** frowned and pulled her eyes away from the paper, shaking her head slightly from the horrid image in her mind. Allen just stared at the picture, his facial expression telling everyone around that it was a horrible picture.

"This…is just gross. Whoever did that is evil." **[Name]** rubbed her arms.

The picture contained a picture of a woman. They weren't mummified as _actual_ Egyptian mummies, but more so that they were sucked of their liquid to the very core. It was literally just gray skin clinging tightly to the bones, with white hair and dried out eyeballs that were barely seen. Her back was arched forward, and it stayed that way, in an arch. There was a picture to the side of the victim.

"I agree." Allen handed the picture back to Komui, who placed it under a folder so that it doesn't stare at him whilst he talked.

"As you can see…" Komui cleared his throat, "It's quite vampiric."

"You can say that again." **[Name]** muttered.

"I'll tell you a little about the victims that were found. All of them were found in their homes, with the exception of this one, which was found in an inn. She didn't actually live in Spain and was there for a visit. The others, lived there." He took a breath, "As you've seen, that picture that you saw before had the woman arching her back. All the victims had it – not just her. So we believe it's not just a casual death or murder." Komui said bluntly.

"I want you 2 to investigate the city, see if there's anything that leads to what happened to them." Komui nodded.

"Alright. We'll see you later, Komui." **[Name]** waved before going with Allen to prepare for the mission ahead.

"Brother, are you sure it's alright to send them on this mission?" Lenalee walked in, holding a cup of coffee. She set it down next to the Chief.

Komui looked grim. He took out the picture again, but this time, he had other pictures as well. It was the other victims, done in the same way as the one he showed them. It also had their faces on it as well, before they were dehydrated to death.

"He's after beautiful women, isn't he?" Lenalee asked, glancing down at the sheet of paper in his hands.

The purple haired male just nodded, deep in thought. "That's why I sent them. **[Name]** would be the distraction, whereas Allen would be able to find out who it is that's doing this."

"Allen can find out? Is the culprit an akuma?" Lenalee put her smarts into action.

"…I'm guessing it is. I'm not sure. But he's caused enough trouble already; the city where something similar to this happened, it was destroyed after a couple of weeks of toying with the people there." Komui said with a grim face.

Lenalee stared down at the papers once again, her eyes narrowing slightly as she pressed her lips together into a thin line.

_Please be careful, Allen, __**[Name]**__._

"This place is huge!" **[Name]** exclaimed, staring up at the buildings around them as they arrived in the largest city. The place was bustling with business, people everywhere, chatting and enjoying themselves. There were some buskers on the street, playing pleasant music that people tipped them for. Allen and **[Name] **looked at each other.

"So where are the finders?" Allen asked.

**[Name] **shrugged, glancing around. She didn't see any. "I'm actually not too sure. I haven't seen any finders here, even when we arrived! Did Komui mention anything about finders?" She asked.

Allen put on a thinking face. He remembered that Komui said nothing about finders, but…then it clicked to him, like a light bulb lighting up inside his head.

"What if…he purposely sent no finders with us?" Allen's eyebrows furrowed.

The female exorcist didn't know what to say. She finally popped a question however, stating nothing but the obvious. "Why would he do that?"

"Think about it, **[Name]**. He told us that there were happenings here that were deaths. He never said anything about Innocence." Allen said. He thought for a moment, wondering why Komui would do that.

"So…?" **[Name]** questioned stupidly, making Allen chuckle with hopelessness.

"I think he is getting us to—" Allen was cut off when his left eye reacted to a person who was walking towards them.

It was a person who was very handsome and tall, with a prominent jawline and a gaze that held significance. His hair was a golden brown, but was slightly messy, giving him a tiny bad boy look. Allen gulped. He knew what this man was. But why did he approach them?

"I couldn't help but notice that you are such a beautiful lady. Your beauty outshines that of even diamonds." The handsome man grabbed **[Name]**'s hands and held them together, squeezing them between his fingers. His face was close to **[Name]**'s, making her shriek a little at the intimacy.

Allen felt his blood boil and he unconsciously glared at the taller male.

"H-Hello?" **[Name] **stammered, unsure of her words. She leaned back a little bit, wishing to get away from the man.

"Why, you're so beautiful! Are you new here? Did you just arrive? Why don't I show you around?" He offered, batting his long eyelashes at **[Name]**.

He moved away from her face and let one of his hands to his side, the other still clutching her hand. He then started to pull her along with him, making Allen grab her other hand.

"H-Hey! What are you doing? She hasn't even replied to you yet!" Allen grabbed **[Name]**'s hand, pulling her towards him. **[Name]** felt her cheeks go a little red upon contact.

The handsome man turned to his side and stared at the white haired man, eyeing him up and down. He the chuckled, smirking slightly. "What, is she your girlfriend?" He asked casually, as if he knew something they didn't.

Allen was taken aback and his eyes went a bit wider as he lost his ability to form words. He opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish, making the man laugh heartily.

**[Name]** stared at Allen, wondering what he would say. She was hoping he would say yes, to save her from this man, but when he didn't reply, she felt horrible.

**[Name]** cleared her throat, signalling that she wanted to talk. She turned to the taller man, "Excuse me, I am new here. I _would _like to have a look around the town…if you don't mind." She smiled a little, glancing back at Allen.

The handsome man smirked, "I gotcha, babe."

**[Name]** silently cringed at the nickname. She tried to see Allen's reaction, but saw that he was only staring at her like he normally did to anybody else. There was just…_no reaction._

"…Ah…" Allen just blinked as he saw the man dragging **[Name]** away, albeit forcefully, as she tried to look back at Allen.

His left eye could see the soul of the akuma inside, reaching out to him, talking to him.

_Please…help…me…! Don't…lose the…girl…!_

Allen just stared grimly at their backs, before realising what the soul had said.

_Oh…shit…!_ He internally screamed, realising what was going to happen. He stared at the sky, seeing that it was a bright blue; the middle of the day. His gray eyes looked around the city, trying to find them. He spotted them turning a corner.

Allen started to run like his life depended on it. His heart was telling him to – his brain was _definitely _telling him to.

"**[Name]**!" Allen shouted, turning the corner.

"Huh…?" The exorcists' eyes widened in astonishment as he ended up at the dead end of an alleyway.

"**[Name]**! Where are you?!" He shouted anyway, knowing that nobody was there to respond. He went into the alley, eyes flickering from side to side, up and down, front and back. He was trying to find anything, anything that could lead him to **[Name]**.

Then, he heard the movement of a heavy metal. Instantly, his eyes were on the ground. He leaned down, seeing something moving. It was a metal plate that covered the entrance sewerage pipes.

The male gulped, the stench filling his nostrils.

_What if they disappeared down there…?_ Allen wondered, furrowing his white brows.

Allen bit his lip, weighing up the chances. He stared at his surroundings, hoping to find any place else they could have escaped from.

There were no other places where they could. Everything was fenced off with high rise buildings.

The male took one look at the metal plate, before cringing and looking to the side, finding a crowbar thrown to the side. He mentally sighed and took the crowbar in his hands, feeling a warmth on it, making him stare at it as if it were an alien.

In the end, Allen shrugged and shoved the crowbar to wedge open the metal plate, flinging it to the side.

"Here goes…" Allen held his breath and began to descend down the ladder to the sewers.

As he was going down, he distinctively heard these words echo from down the sewers.

"…have you seen those mummified people?"

That was **[Name]**'s voice. Allen could recognise it anywhere.

"Of course. I've seen them too. Do you want me to show you?"

And that was _the akuma's _voice. Allen's eye started to react.

"Oh…sure! Why not?"

"Well, it's just this way."

Allen followed the voices as fast as possible. He was running, his feet tapping against the stone floor.

The voices were so close. He heard something open and fastened his pace. He had to get there. He _had _to get **[Name]** out of the akuma's grip, and back into his own. She was safer that way.

_What was I thinking back there? I should've just exorcised him the moment I knew he was an akuma! _Allen mentally berated himself, thinking of how stupid he was to not have done that in the first place. _Instead, I just _had _to let him get to me! Dammit!_

He cursed as he saw the light filter in front above from far away. He saw 2 moving figures. It had to be **[Name] **and that man. He knew it. Through his eye, he could see the faint outline of the mummified soul that had come out from the akuma.

_Soon…it'll be…too…late…_

The light source was opened wider as they climbed out, shutting the ceiling door behind them. Allen hastily followed through, doing the exact same thing a minute later. He pushed open the door and felt himself squint at the harsh light. Once his eyes adjusted, he climbed out and noticed that he was in an inn. He noticed this because he could see the sign outside from down below.

Allen deduced that he was on the ground floor. He looked at his surroundings. He was in a room where there was a vast supply of towels and bed sheets. Quickly getting out of that room, he manoeuvred his way around the inn, avoiding employees and other people. He could sense the akuma nearby.

Allen's mind and heart were racing. It wasn't because he was running, but because he was worried for his former lover.

He remembered back to when Komui was telling them about the mission – the women were all found in inns or their houses. Unsurprisingly, he was led to an inn…and furthermore, **[Name]** was a traveller. If that man was truly the akuma that was causing this, he would have to step in quickly.

After passing by several doors and several corridors, he finally found the room. Twisting the knob, he tried to get in. He couldn't. It was locked.

_Dammit! How can I be that stupid to not know it's locked?!_ Allen sighed deeply, getting flustered. After this whole incident started with that akuma, he just couldn't think properly. _What the hell is this?_

He heard a high yelp from the other side, before hearing a male chuckle. He knew that yelp. It was **[Name].** He felt his blood boil as he furiously twisted the knob, hoping to get in.

"Stop touching me like that!" **[Name]** voice spoke. There was the sound of somebody slapping something.

"Hey, babe…don't get too disappointed! They're just over there."

"But there's nothing over there."

"That's because...they haven't appeared yet."

"What are you on about?"

Allen had stopped trying to open the door and was now eavesdropping. He could feel his eye twitch uncontrollably as he heard the normal conversation between them, and the akuma calling **[Name]** 'babe'.

_No! Don't you call her that…_Allen growled lowly.

There was the sound of something hitting against the wall and something hitting the bed. He then heard the low chuckle from the akuma.

"Ah…what a specimen."

Allen's gray hues widened considerably and he instantly activated his Innocence – ready to barge in at any moment. He didn't hear **[Name]** at all, worrying him further.

"Now…" The popping of buttons could be heard from the other side.

Allen's human hand clenched tightly as his hands grabbed around the knob.

"Did you think that that was enough to knock me out?" **[Name]** suddenly said.

Allen froze.

"Y-You…! You're still conscious?" the smooth talking male finally stammered.

The female chuckled. The sound of something being stabbed was picked up. Allen kicked down the door, fearing that it might have been **[Name]**. The door hinges broke off and fell to the ground inside the room, letting him see everything in plain site.

True enough, it was what he thought it was. **[Name]** was on the bed with that man over her. Her exorcist uniform had been unbuttoned, showing her clothes underneath. But that wasn't all. The female exorcist had stabbed the man with an arrow, right through the shoulder. She was smiling when Allen came in, seemingly unaffected by the scream of the male on top of her.

Allen just watched, his eyes wide.

**[Name]** pulled out the arrow and kicked the man off, making him fall to the floor. Blood oozed out of his wound. She pulled herself up from the bed, rubbing the back of her head.

"That hurt." She pouted.

"You…you…bit—"

**[Name]** didn't let him finish and kicked him in the stomach mercilessly. "I know you have other victims somewhere. Where are they?" She demanded, voice cold.

Allen stared in awe at the **[Name]** he thought he knew fully. This was different. She sounded so cold, so vicious, so powerful. It didn't stop Allen from loving her more.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" The akuma's voice was getting deeper by the second as he stood up, his back exploding.

Vast amounts of blood splattered around the walls, tainting it. Both exorcists' eyes widened, seeing the 'body' crimple to the floor.

"What is this?!" **[Name]** exclaimed, examining the body. "Wait…this isn't a body at all!" She stared at Allen, before her eyes widened.

"WATCH OUT!" **[Name] **shouted.

Allen stumbled to the floor, surprised by **[Name]**'s outburst. He just narrowly dodged a blood spike that had come from the walls. Staring at it with a shocked expression, Allen laughed nervously.

The female pointed to the wall and a laughter echoed around the room. The blood receded from the wall and formed a figure with dark red armour which looked like a manikin.

"You stink of blood!" **[Name]** gagged at the strong smell of iron.

Allen felt overwhelmed as well, but he didn't let that get to him. He pushed himself off the ground and faced the akuma. It was a level 3 akuma.

"That's because I _am _blood, my dear." The voice was chilling and sent shivers down both the male and female's spines.

**[Name]** gulped. Allen glared.

"It was easier to find you than we thought." Allen commented, almost smugly. **[Name]** shot Allen a look.

"Oh? Were you looking for me?" The akuma laughed, holding its non-existent belly.

"Yeah…" Allen's white bandage like bands wrapped around the akuma's wrist.

The next moment was a full on explosive fight. **[Name]** was readying her bow and arrow, one eye closed to shoot for accuracy.

Allen was busy engaging the akuma in a fight, narrowly dodging many of the blood spikes aimed at him. He would try to kick it, but the level 3 would disperse and dodge it that way, making it almost as flexible as water. Allen growled as he slipped out of his reach, sucking up the fake body and eating it. At that moment, Allen managed to claw deeply into the armoured akuma, making it shout out in pain, before sending a load of spikes at the white haired exorcist. Allen jumped out of the way, dodging and deflecting the spikes with his crown clown cape.

As Allen moved out of the way, that signalled **[Name]** to shoot. She let the arrow go, seeing it fly through the air to the akuma. It noticed it, before laughing and catching it with his hand, on the side, crushing it with its hand.

"Pathetic!" He roared in laughter. That irked **[Name]** as she started to aim again.

Allen started attacking him with his sword, catching him off guard. He was able to disable one of his limbs before it could turn it to blood, making it considerably weaker.

**[Name]** struck again. This time, she aimed straight at the chest. She hit it dead on, showcasing her accuracy. Allen took this chance and wrapped it around with the bandage like wrap, before writing something on the forehead and letting the soul free.

After it was done, there was a loud commotion coming from outside. Allen yelped when he heard shouting, and grabbed **[Name]**, hoping to escape.

The woman shook her head and pulled Allen back.

"Good job with the exorcising, but we can't leave yet. I found out he stores his other victims in this inn." **[Name]** spoke, eyeing the white haired man.

Allen took a moment to process her words, before nodding.

There was a scream outside the door and the 2 exorcists noticed that the person was scared half to death, falling onto the floor and pointing to both them and the room.

As finders filled the room, Allen and **[Name]** stepped away from any blood patches, standing in the 'safe' corner where they did not distract or was in the way of any finders.

After word had gotten out that there had been a murder at the inn, it travelled very quickly to the Order. Of course, Allen and **[Name]** cleared it up to be an exorcising ritual but some were still sceptical. The Order arrived and investigated, finding a couple more victims done in the same way as those pictures from before.

"That's a mission well done." Komui smiled. He had come down as well, along with Lenalee, to check on the investigation process.

"Good job you 2! We'll get you back to the Order in no time!" Lenalee grinned.

Allen then had a thought. He turned to **[Name]**. "How did you know that he was an akuma?"

"Your eye reacted to him, didn't it?" **[Name]** pointed to his eye. Allen then laughed.

"I…I see…" He smiled, feeling his inner turmoil calm.

"Alright. We're done here." Komui nodded his head and led everyone out. He placed his hand on Allen's shoulder, giving him a wink, before heading out.

Allen stared at him wide eyed, before following after him like everyone else.

"Allen…" **[Name]** started, making him stop in his tracks.

"Huh? Yes, **[Name]**?" He questioned.

"…thanks for worrying about me." She bashfully looked away, feeling the blood rise to her cheeks.

Allen noticed and laughed, taking a couple of steps so he was near her. He brushed the side of her cheek, making a shiver go down her spine, but in a good way. She didn't dare look at him though. She didn't want him to see her red cheeks.

Allen chuckled at the woman, before leaning down and giving her a kiss on the cheek. **[Name]** then looked over, her expression a mixture of shock and surprise as her face became redder than before. Allen grinned down at her, before taking her hand and pulling her along with him.

**[Name]** touched her cheek where Allen had kissed, making her feel embarrassed to the very core. Her heart thumped wildly, even at these small little interactions she had. This never happened with Lavi. **[Name]** stared at their hands that were held together. She felt safe and reassured.

"Maybe this isn't such a bad thing…" She mumbled to herself.

Allen glanced behind him, "Did you say something?"

"No!" She instantly replied.

That earned a handsome smile from the man holding her hand.


	12. Part 12 - Final

Pledge to Him

Part 12

~Epilogue~

"So, what does it look like?!" **[Name]** begged Lenalee, trying to find out the juicy information about the upcoming ball, which was in a day's time.

"No, I can't tell you!" Lenalee sighed, stressing her words for about the 100th time. **[Name]** had constantly bugged her since the start of the day. It was seriously annoying the female exorcist, who couldn't do much when she was around.

"Why?!" **[Name]** pouted.

"Have you gotten your dress yet?" The Chinese girl changed the topic, staring at **[Name]**'s **[eye colour]** eyes intently.

**[Name]** made an 'o' with her lips and clapped her hands together. "I completely forgot about that!" She exclaimed.

Lenalee sighed dramatically before smiling at the other female, "Why don't you go and get yourself one now? I can't come with you to get it since I'm a bit busy."

"Aw…that sucks." **[Name]** looked down and sighed, before running a hand through her **[hair colour]** locks. "Alright, I'll go find one…" A thought crossed her mind, before a grin broke out onto her face, "Actually, I've already got one! I'm just going to go home to get it. I'll be back later today!" In a hurry, **[Name] **sprinted off, leaving a stunned Lenalee.

Arriving in less than 2 hours, **[Name]** stood at the front of her house, shoving the keys into the keyhole and unlocking the door. Her parents weren't home today so she was a little disappointed. They would have been quite happy to see her.

"Alright…dress, dress, where are you…?" **[Name]** mumbled softly, digging through her wardrobe. It wasn't there.

She searched her whole room until she saw a brown suitcase. She unzipped the case, seeing some silky material come out.

**[Name]** pulled out the long white dress that was in the chest, along with the necklace. It was a very beautiful item, made by the science department. She didn't have it at the Order because she thought they weren't going to have a ball in a long time, and she wanted to lock away memories. But, in the end, she didn't need to.

"It's been a while…" **[Name]** stared at the dress, before her lips curled into a small smile. Immediately, she shut the chest and began to change into the dress.

When she stared into the mirror, she saw a woman with **[fair/pale/tanned/dark]** skin wearing a long and poofy white dress (due to the petticoat). The dress was a satin material and extended to her elbow, coming off in a loose sleeve for the arms. It showed a little bit of cleavage and was laced with lace, then tied up from the cleavage down to the waist with a satin ribbon, tied at the top. The frills connecting the sleeves and the dress came down to just above the waist, stopping there and continuing again in a cascade of frills that went down just above the ground.

**[Name]**'s hair was done up in just a high ponytail, but she untied her hair, letting it waterfall down her shoulders. She stared at herself in the mirror, thinking that she had forgotten something.

"Ah! The necklace and the…" **[Name]** trailed off, placing the necklace around her neck as well as tying a thick ribbon around her waist, the back being tied into a butterfly bow.

"Oh woah…" **[Name]** stared at herself, flabbergasted.

She didn't know she could look like this. Her hand subconsciously went to the necklace, touching the cool metal with her fingers. It was a heart outline made of silver.

The exorcist smiled, remembering the fond memories back 5 years ago.

"Thanks, Allen." She whispered to herself.

Her smile then faltered, remembering his words to her when he left. She puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms, then took off the dress.

"Geez, what an idiot for saying stuff like that…" She muttered.

But, the smile made its way back onto her face as she thought of the upcoming days with Allen. She silently giggled before getting ready to leave.

It was the day of the ball. Lenalee had gotten all the set ups ready and they were ready to let people in. It was the evening and people from all over had already started to come in, including a couple of people who they didn't expect.

"W-W-W-W-W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Komui pointed his finger directly into the Millennium Earl's face.

The Millennium Earl, in his human form, just laughed and hit his cane against the ground. "Hello there Komui. I came here for the ball. Everyone is invited, no?" He took off his hat and bowed slightly.

The dark haired Chief gulped and stared at his arch nemesis with huge eyes and a gaping mouth, "W-What?!"

"Do not worry, Komui. We will call it a truce for today." A couple of people came out from behind the Earl. Komui's eyes popped, it was the rest of the Noah family!

"B-B-B-ut…!"

"Brother, what's the commotion?" Lenalee came up to her brother, dressed in an elegant long black dress.

"Lenalee!" Komui pulled his little sister behind him protectively. Lenalee peered over his shoulder and her eyes widened as well.

"But we called a truce." The Millennium Earl said sadly. The girl raised her brow.

"Ah, maybe they just don't like us…" A tall dark curly haired male sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Right…where's the boy? I think we can get him to explain to them."

"Eh? 4 eyes?!"

"Speak of the devil," Tyki smirked, turning to face the white haired man, "I'll ignore that insult," but then he saw who he was with, "Eh…boy, I thought you ditched her."

Allen made a face, before placing his arm around **[Name]**'s waist, who stood beside him. The female blushed, trying to hide her face by looking down.

Tyki's smirk became wider as he looked her up and down, "You sure got a good one. Make sure not to ditch her again, you hear?" He teased.

Allen glared at Tyki, before nearly toppling over by somebody jumping to hug him.

"Allen-kun!" It was Road, the Noah of Dreams. She was hugging Allen tightly, much to **[Name]**'s dismay, even though she'd seen that happen many times before.

"Road?" Allen was astonished she was even here. But then again, Tyki and the Millennium Earl were, so why not she as well?

"Hi Allen!" Road grinned cheekily up at the taller man, her dark purple hair nearly stabbing him in the eyes.

Allen tried to pry Road's arms off from him, successfully doing so to initiate conversation with the Noahs that had come for the party. He was quite surprised they were here, even after all the trouble they've caused.

"We're calling it a truce today, boy." Tyki responded to his thoughts with a knowing smirk.

"Huh?! Do you read minds or something?" Allen gasped.

"No, it was written all over your face…" The Portuguese male sweat dropped.

"Ah…I-I see…" Allen laughed, but it sounded forced.

**[Name]** tugged at Allen's sleeve, making him stare down at her. She had a look of surprise on her face from the appearance of the villains, but otherwise, she was completely fine. Allen gave her a reassuring smile, before pecking her on the forehead.

Road gasped and pretended to faint, the Earl catching her.

"My my…can we go inside now? I would like to enjoy the party." The Earl smiled.

"Uh…ah…s-sure." Komui blinked a couple of times, opening the doors for the Noah family, "Just make sure to keep your word…"

"I always do." The Millennium Earl winked at Komui and strode into the room with the handsome Noah and small girl (who was actually a lot older than she looked).

"Shall we?" A smile danced on Allen's lips.

**[Name]** giggled and pinched his cheek, nuzzling into his neck. "We shall."

One hand was on her lower back and the other hand was gently holding the female's hand. They strode around the room with graceful steps, in complete synch with each other, their backs straight and lips curled into a small smile.

People watched as they danced and stared in awe, gaping at the sheer sight of it.

"I never knew the boy could dance." Tyki chuckled, smirking as he stared at the couple.

"Tyki-pon, you don't know many things about Allen Walker." The Earl placed a couple of sugar cubes into his tea.

"Hah? What do you mean?" Tyki rose a delicate eyebrow at the Earl, crossing his arms.

"He is a persistent child…" The Earl just laughed, "What an eventful evening it is."

The male Noah just stared at his family member, before shaking his head and sighing. He had no idea what he meant. He had changed the topic so quickly he didn't even get a chance to question it.

"I can't believe he chose her over me." Road frowned, hugging onto Tyki. He felt his life squeeze out of him the harder she hugged.

What a strong little girl.

"Allen…" **[Name]** whispered.

"Hm?" The white haired boy hummed, leaning in closer as he pushed her closer to him so that her chest hit his.

"Promise me." Her **[eye colour]** hues flickered to meet Allen's gray ones, which showed surprise.

"Promise…?" Allen asked, his long eyelashes sweeping her cheek gently as he leaned down, cheek just brushing hers.

"…that you'll never…leave again and tell me stupid things." **[Name]** whispered hotly into his ear.

Allen eyes widened a minute amount, but then he smiled and kissed her on the side of her cheek tenderly, making her ears go red.

"I can't promise that I won't say stupid things…" Allen mumbled softly. He pulled back just a little and placed his forehead against **[Name]**'s, staring into her soft hues. He had a gentle smile on his face that melted her heart and made it flutter.

"But I_ can_ promise that I won't leave you again."


End file.
